Comets Claim First Game Of Series

by

Toronto Marlies

Game Recap

The Utica Comets took the first game of a weekend set at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Saturday, as the Marlies fought back late but couldn’t recover from an early deficit.

Utica scores less than two minutes into the game, kicking off a four-goal first period for the Comets. In the second, they added the next two goals as well, before Dmytro Timashov got one back for the Marlies with under 30 seconds remaining in the second.

Jeremy Bracco had a quick goal to start the third, lighting the lamp just 15 seconds into the final frame. Less than a minute later, Griffen Molino scored his first as a Marlie to cut the deficit to 6-3.

Reid Boucher would score his second of the night for the Comets midway through the third to dash the comeback hopes, but Emerson Clark would go on to record his first as a Marlie minutes later, capitalizing on a power play opportunity.

With the loss, the Marlies now fall to 1-3-0-0 to start the season while Utica improves to 2-2-0-0.

The two sides will meet again tomorrow with the Marlies looking to respond to today’s 7-4 loss.

Dmytro Timashov scored shorthanded at 19:34 of the second period for his first goal of the season. This si the Marlies’ third shorthanded goal in four games. Timashov recorded a point (1 goal, 2 assists) in three consecutive games.

Jeremy Bracco scored his first goal of the season 15 seconds into the third period. Bracco registered 32 points (6 goals, 26 assists) in 50 games last season.

Griffen Molino scored his first goal of the season at 1:10 of the third period. Molino had 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in 46 games last season. with the Utica Comets.

Emerson Clark scored his first goal of the season at 13:41 of the third period on the power play. Clark recorded 17 points (9 goals, 8 assists) in 48 games with the San Jose Barracuda.

Trevor Moore registered the primary assist on Timashov’s second period shorthanded goal and later added the primary assist on Clark’s power play goal. Moore has five points (3 goals, 2 assists) through four games this season.

Calle Rosen had the secondary assist on Timashov’s shorthanded goal in the second period. Rosen has recorded a point (1 goal, 4 assists) in the first four games of the season.

Andreas Borgman recorded the primary assist on Bracco’s third period goal. Borgman has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) through four games this season.

Sam Gagner registered the secondary assist on Bracco’s third period goal. Gagner has six points (3 goals, 3 assists) through four games this season.

Andrew Nielsen had the lone assist on Molino’s third period goal and later added the secondary assist on Clark’s power play goal.

Kasimir Kaskisuo stopped 18 of 24 shots he faced before leaving the game midway through the second period. Kaskisuo is now 1-2-0-0 on the season with a .851 Save Percentage and a 5.19 Goals Against Average. Jeff Glass replaced Kaskisuo, stopping 10 of 11 shots he faced. Glass now has a .854 Save Percentage and a 4.62 Goals Against Average.

NOTABLES

Toronto went 4-for-6 on the penalty kill and 1-for-6 on the power play.

Utica had a 35-34 edge in shots in all situations.

Jeremy Bracco led the Marlies with five shots on goal.

The Marlies are 1-3-0-0 against North Division opponents and 1-1-0-0 against the Utica Comets.

On tonight’s game:
Well obviously there’s not a lot of good things other than our starts. I liked our start for our first rotations through the lineup. I thought it was good and we had lots of jump and the offensive zone had some of their own scoring chances. We make one mistake, they come down and score in their first shot of the game and I just thought we just chased it from there and we weren’t able to recover. You can see that we were a fragile group and the response after that goal was there wasn’t a response and they just got on our heels and it snowballed from there. So, it was just a sign of where we’re at as a team. The encouraging part is our start, both the first and then the third period, but clearly there is a lot more going on in the game than that.

On any optimism from the game:
I’m optimistic just because I believe in the group that we have here. We had a bad day. The coaching staff had a bad day, the players had a bad day, but I believe in this group, I believe in the guys that we had in the lineup today, I believe in the guys that are injured that are going to come in our lineup at some point here soon. I believe in the group and we have to get to work. It’s one thing to have a good start when you have to remain mentally tough and you deal with things that don’t go your way. But yes, I am optimistic for a lot of reasons and of course it’s nice to see some young guys score goals and kind of get going. Obviously, we’re going to need everyone going tomorrow.

Game Preview

The Toronto Marlies (1-2-0-0) continue Home Opener Week celebrations on Saturday when they get back on the ice to face the Utica Comets (1-2-0-0).

Marlies Look To Bounce Back

It’s the first of two straight games against the Comets this weekend and the Marlies are hoping to bounce back after losing a pair last weekend.

The Marlies opened the season with a win over the Comets in Utica last Friday, coming up with a 7-3 victory.

Trevor Moore scored twice in that game, kicking off his hot start to the season and continuing to build off last year’s postseason success.

Calle Rosen earned two assists in Utica and has picked up a point in all three games this season, while Sam Gagner leads the Marlies with five points (3G, 2A) through three games.

Key Contributors For Comets

At the other end, the Marlies will look to shut down Reid Boucher, who’s off to a strong start with five goals in three games, two of those coming in the game against Toronto.

He’s joined by Zack McEwen who also has five points (1G, 4A) on the year in the early going. Richard Bachman has backstopped the Comets in all three games this season and enters play with a .891 save percentage (SV%).

Special Teams

Special teams could be a big part of today’s matchup as both power plays have been firing on all cylinders to start the season. The Marlies have converted on 20% of their power play opportunities while the Comets are sitting at 33.3%.

Facing Utica’s strong power play will be a good test for the Marlies penalty kill, who have allowed 4 goals in 15 shorthanded situations.

Utica allowed the Marlies power play to score once in the season opening game and have not allowed a power play goal since, killing off 91.7% of situations on the season.

Today’s Details

Puck drop for today’s game is scheduled for 4:00 and tickets are still available, with the first 5,000 fans receiving a championship ring.

Catch all the action on Leafs Nation Network or AHLTV, plus follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates and behind-the-scenes access from Coca-Cola Coliseum.

GO Transit Service Disruptions

Please note: There are a number of service changes in effect on GO Transit that will affect today’s game. Please leave early to make sure you arrive on time. Click here for more information on the service changes and how to get to Coca-Cola Coliseum.